news details |
|
|
| Controversy over Shiv Khori Shrine Board unabated | | | Early Times Special Correspondent
Jammu | Feb 1
News Analysis
The abrupt sine-die adjournment of two Houses of state legislature, the Assembly on 30th January and the Legislative Council the next day, has led to many important bills getting deferred. However Mahant Omkar Giri of Shiv Khori Muth Sanghar, who has lunched a concerted campaign through media as well as by mobilizing the opinion among the legislators, besides fighting a legal battle against the government move to take over Shiv Khori Cave Shrine, by constituting Shiv Khori Shrine Board, was not so lucky. Bill No. 1 of 2008 moved in the legislative assembly by Pt. Mangat Ram Sharma, providing for constitution of Shiv Khori Shrine Board was passed a week before the assembly session concluded 10 days ahead of its schedule. The same was passed in the Legislative Council on the very day, the Council adjourned sine-die. This was the only bill taken up and passed in the legislature, this session. While in the Legislative Assembly the opposition to the bill by some National Conference members, Ajay Sadhotra pleading for referring the bill to the selective committee was disregarded. In the LC the bill was passed on January 31, in the teeth of strong opposition by JKNPP Chief Prof. Bhim Singh, who charged the Minister for Roads and Buildings Jugal Kishore Sharma of having ulterior motive behind the whole move, with a view of grab 400 kanals of land adjoining the Shrine.
The action of state government in adopting the bill for constitution of Shri Shiv Khori Shrine Board is embroiled in controversy, as was the case with the constitution of Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, through an ordinance promulgated by the then state Governor Jagmohan in 1986. This is the third Hindu shrine in J&K for which boards have been constituted. After constitution of Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, with state Governor, if he is a Hindu, as its ex-officio Chairman, Shri Amarnath Shrine Board was constituted in 2002—2003 through an Act of the legislature again a Hindu state Governor being its ex-officio Chairman. Shri Shiv Khori Shrine Bill, however provides for Divisional Commissioner Jammu if he is Hindu, to be the ex-officio Chairman of the Board and in case Div Com Jammu is a non Hindu Deputy Development Commissioner Riasi will be its Chairman.
Mahant Omkar Giri, who claims himself to be the successor of the hereditary Mahants of the Muth, who has lost this round of battle, being unable to obstruct the passing of the bill in the state legislature, is left with the option to knock at the door of Raj Bhawn, appealing the Governor to not give his assent to the bill for the same to become a law. The Mahant is determined to carry his struggle to the logical end and has also filed a writ petition in the J&K High Court against the Government move to take over the Shrine and dispossess the Mahant of his claimed fundamental right as the legal heir of the orders of Mahants, being the disciple of the late Mahant. Mahant Omkar Giri argues that Shiv khori Muth is in existence since times immemorial and the administration of the Muth is run by the Mahants of Zoona Akhara Muth and that government has no right to take control of such a shrine. He has charged Jugal Kishore Sharma MLA of Riasi of having ulterior motive with an eye on the income and landed property of the Shri Shiv Khori Shrine, where he has purchased a big chunk of land of Shrine in the name of his benami associates and has managed to get wrong entries in the revenue record with the connivance of revenue officers. He has also charged the administration of committing a sacrilege by throwing out the Gaddi of the Mahant and extinguishing the "Dhoonaa", which according to him was sulking from times immemorial. The Mahant describes the take over of the Shrine by dispossessing him as the infringement of fundamental and legal rights of the Mahants of the Muth. He cites in his support Article 31-A, read with Article 14, 16, 19, 21, 22 to 26 of the constitution of India as well as the provision of the preamble and Section 25 of the constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, which debars the government from taking away the fundamental rights of the Muth
On the other hand the overwhelming majority in the state legislature, which voted in favour of the bill as well as many supporters of the government move argue that the Mahant is only fighting for safeguard of his own vested interests and that the objective of the constitution of the Board is to provide transparent control and management of the shrine, which has lately gained much popularity and is poised to become a renowned pilgrimage spot, with much larger number of people undertaking pilgrimage to the Shrine, the mystic aboard of Bhagwan Shiva. They cite the example of Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine, which has got tremendous fillip after the constitution of Shrine Board and in case of which too the Baridars and even Dharam Arth Trust had raised objections. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
